Sweet Breastfeeding Moments

Oh. Really, I think they are all sweet moments when breastfeeding.  And I really mean that.  I say that as a mom of a sick one year old who thinks the breast is the only place to be.  Yes, there are days like these when I might like a little more space for myself.  But I am all too aware that my days of breastfeeding are limited.  Soon he will be done.  And my dear husband and I believe this one to be the last of our babies.  So, barring a miracle when this baby weans I will be finished breastfeeding.  And that makes every moment nursing him sweet.  It also makes the memories of nursing the others sweet too.

The days are long but the years are short.  I wish I knew who said it first.  That saying is so true.  I find it much easier with this last baby to have perspective.  A 13 year old will do that to you.  Time has already flown once.  Can I slow it down for this one?  But what if this is your first baby?  A new mom just starting to master the art of breastfeeding. The days are SO long and no years have flown by yet.  What then?  How do you make it through?

I remember when Miss Froggie was a baby and mothers of grown children would say to me, "Oh, nursing is so sweet.  I miss those days".  It was all I could do to smile and nod.  Inside I was thinking something like, "what are you talking about?" I am just trying to make it through today.  Will I miss this?  Really?

YES! I already do!

So, some of those cliches are worth listening to:

Stop and smell the roses.

There will be days for cooking are cleaning, but children grow up while we are not looking.

This too shall pass.

Babies don't keep.

And yes, they are all sweet breastfeeding moments

Breastfeeding a sick baby

Being able to breastfeed a sick baby is one of the greatest benefits of breastfeeding.  I want to start with the caveat that their are a few diseases where a baby should not breastfeed.  These are generally genetic problems that leave an infant unable to digest breastmilk.  There are also premature infants who are too weak to extract enough milk from the breast that need breastmilk provided for them by gavage feedings.  If you have one of these situations the guidelines below might not apply.  Check with your medical provider.

But for those with normal babies who have caught an illness, breastfeeding is truly a gift!

1. You do not have to stop breastfeeding when baby is sick.  While it is generally recommended to avoid dairy with a vomiting or diarrhea illness and sometimes with a respiratory illness, this is not true for breastmilk!  You don't have to buy or make electrolyte solutions and then try desperately to get your baby to drink it!

2.  Breastfeeding is comforting for baby.  He will feel better while nursing.  Studies have shown breastfeeding to reduce the sensation of pain in infants.

3.  Baby will get antibodies for the illness from your breastmilk which will help her to get better faster.

4.  If baby has a respiratory illness you might have to clear out baby's nose before he will be able to nurse.  You do this with nasal saline and a bulb syringe.

5.  If you find that baby is vomiting after breastfeeding, she might be getting too much volume in her stomach.  When baby has a vomiting illness if there is too much in her stomach she is more likely to vomit.  That is why they recommend starting with small amounts of liquids.  You can do this by shortening a feeding time or emptying our breasts with a breast pump prior to feeding.

Loving my babies from afar {Breastfeeding Blog Hop}

I have previously mentioned that I have been blessed to stay home with Baby, but with the other three kiddos I returned to work way before we finished breastfeeding.  Each one has a slightly different story.  I must admit that I was very blessed to be able to pump enough milk to leave for 8-12 hours with little difficulty.  However, I do think that my babies have taken less milk from a bottle while I was gone and then made up for it when I returned home.  For me one of the hardest parts was getting enough milk for that first day at work.

Miss Froggie:
     I returned to work when Miss Froggie was 6 weeks old.  There is a really long story behind why I returned to work so soon or at all, but the short version is that hubby and I believe it was God's will for me.  When I returned to work I worked 12 hour day shifts three days a week on a hospital pediatric floor.  I had a friend who watched her when hubby was at work.  There was a private room and a refrigerator that I was able to use in order to pump.  I had a manual Avent Isis pump.  I generally pumped when I was computer charting.  I would lock myself in the room with my pump in one hand and chart with the other hand.  Officially we were given a 30 minute lunch break and another 15 minute break at some point in the 12 hour shift.  Initially I tried to pump when Miss Froggie would have eaten.  But I found she really wasn't eating that much or as frequently as I nursed.
    And once she was four months old she quit taking the bottle all together.  Now, I did not do the right thing to get her to take the bottle.  I know that now.  I didn't know it at the time.  I would rush home from work and nurse her.  If I wanted her to take a bottle I should have made her take the bottle before I nursed her.  But, honestly, at that time I would be bursting with milk.  The idea of pumping again and making her take a bottle before I nursed her seemed horrible.  But she was sleeping 12 hours at night, so...I went to work on the night shift.  This worked really well, for everything but my sleep.  I'd nurse her, put her to bed, and go to work.  Hubby and Miss Froggie slept all night and then they would have to wait about 45 minutes for me to get home from work.  But I was one tired momma during the day after working all night.  I had a babysitter who watched her for about 4 hours during the day until she was 14 months old when I put her in drop in daycare.  I nursed her until she was 20 months old.

Dear Daughter 10 years old (DD10yo)
   When I had my second daughter I moved from working in the hospital to working at a pediatrician's office three days a week.  This time I didn't go back to work until DD10yo was 4 months old.  I again had a (different) friend watch the girls when DD10yo was tiny.  This friend was really great about experimenting with different things to get DD10yo to take her breastmilk.  Different bottles, different nipples, etc.  My friend discovered that DD10yo would only take the bottle if the milk was HOT.  I have a feeling that my milk comes out at about 99-100 degrees.  And that was the ONLY way DD10yo would take it. 
   I had upgraded to a Medela Pump-in-Style by this time.  I worked Monday, Wednesday, Friday for 8-10 hour shifts and pumped at lunch.  Again I had access to a room and a fridge.  It was fascinating to me.  On Monday at lunch I would pump 16oz in about 15 minutes.  On Friday I usually got 10-12oz.  If I didn't have enough milk for the next day I would take Mother's Milk Tea and pump an extra time before I went back to work. But, DD10yo ate every three hours.  3a-6a-9a-12p-3p-6p-9p-12a.   Until she was 9 months old and started eating meat.  I pumped milk for her until she was 12 months old and then she got cow's milk while I was at work and breastmilk from me when I was home until she was 18 months old

Jujube:

Jujube on field trip for DD10yo

I went back to work when Jujube was 12 weeks old.  This time I worked full time and when he was tiny he came to work with me on my administrative day.  I hired a nanny.  Compared to the girls Jujube was really laid back.  I pumped at lunch.  He took his bottles no problem.  He didn't sleep 12 hours a night at 4 months old like Miss Froggie, but he slept through the night before he was 9 months old.  I pumped for him until he was 12 months old like DD10yo and nursed him until he was 19 months old.

Baby:
Baby has taken maybe 4 bottles in his life :)  He eats almost everything and does not complain when you give him a bottle even though he rarely gets one.  He is nine months old and still nurses at midnight, 3am, and 6am.  But we miss quite a few feedings during the day with our crazy four kid household.

TIPS:

1.  All babies are different.  You may or may not know the personality of your baby when deciding to go back to work and how to feed.

2.  Your body will adjust to what you do.  You can nurse when your home and give bottles when you are gone.  And those bottles can be pumped breastmilk or formula.  But, your milk supply might be different with each kid and each schedule.

3.  If you want to be SURE your baby will take a bottle start at 4-6 weeks and make them take one every day.  Don't breastfeed until after baby takes the bottle.  If this is difficult discuss the situation with your healthcare provider.

4.  Baby may attempt to nurse more at night if you are gone to work during the day.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing.

5.Use galactogogues if you need to.

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post.

Daddy and breastfeeding

It is my personal belief that a first time mom's personal support system is the most important thing for establishing breastfeeding.  And for most of us, the first and most important person in that personal support system is ... the baby's daddy.  He is the one we share our struggles and our secret insecurities with.

I personally have been very blessed by a very pro-breastfeeding husband.  Our only disagreements with breastfeeding have been related to nursing in public and those were really pretty mild.  My mother-in-law breastfed her sons and so it came quite naturally to my husband that I would also.  One thing that has totally tickled me though, is when I overhear my husband discussing breastfeeding with first time daddy's to be.  I have a couple of times heard him say, "You definitely want to encourage her to breastfeeding, because then you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to give a bottle." This is so true.  At least at our house.

I have to give kuddos to him also for giving the bottles while I was at work.  It is not always an easy task to give a breastfeeding infant a bottle.  He did it so well though, that I had to have him teach me how to make a bottle of breastmilk.  I had never done it, and my patients were asking questions....

I do think that daddy's want to be involved and helpful in those early days of new life and sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly what the most helpful thing to do is when mom is breastfeeding.  Here are my suggestions:

1.   Change the diapers and keep the diaper log.  There are many reasons for this.  The most important one is that dirty diapers can only happen if baby is getting milk.  Baby should have at least one wet and one poopy diaper for each day of life.  For example when baby is three days old he should wet the diaper three times and have three poopy diapers.  These can occur at the same time.  There will be a time when mom is worried about whether baby is getting enough milk.  If daddy has done the log then he is in a perfect spot to reassure mom that baby is getting enough, or confirm that there is something to be concerned about.

2.  Baby has the need to suck that goes way beyond the need to eat, but baby would prefer to do all sucking on mom.  When mom is exhausted this extra time on the breast interferes with much needed sleep.  So, once milk is in and baby has started gaining weight, then daddy can be hugely helpful by helping mom decide if baby is hungry or not. If b If baby is happy with daddy and a pacifier, then baby is usually not hungry.  If baby takes 8-10 sucks on the pacifier, spits it out and then tries to eat daddy's shirt then baby is hungry. 

3.  Treat breastfeeding sort of like labor and delivery.  Talk together about your ideas and goals. Make a plan and then work the plan .  But consider plan B.  Breastfeeding is almost always really hard the first two or three weeks and then starts to go pretty smoothly around six weeks, just in time or the first growth spurt.  But there are exceptions and that is when plan B might come in.  Like most things it is easier to think about plan B before all the stress of the real situation has happened.

Valentine's Day, Breastfeeding, and Sex

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I am so happy to be joining up with Sisters 'N Cloth for the Valentine's edition of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop!  And so today we tackle the slightly scandalous topic of breastfeeding and sex.  Actually, talking about sex and breastfeeding should not be scandalous at all.  For almost all of us, the former is what eventually led to the later.  And it is only natural that at some point after the birth of a baby, we would resume being intimate.  Actually I highly recommend it.  It is all too easy to be tired and worn out from mommy duty and not have as much time for each other as a couple.

Each couple is going to be very different how they work this out.  But, it is worth it!  Even if your only desire is to keep your baby daddy from being jealous of the baby.  Now, if this is your first baby and you haven't quite gotten back in the groove, here are a couple of things to know:

1.  You might "let down" and spray milk everywhere when you orgasm.
2.  You might need a lubricant, because there is less vaginal lubricant while breastfeeding.
3.  You may go a long time without ovulating while breastfeeding, and this could effect your desire.
4.  It is perfectly ok for breasts to be a part of love-making.  Your partner will not contaminate your nipples or steal the baby's next meal

Today I was blessed to hear a group of guys commenting that women don't have an "on" switch that gets us in the mood in a hurry.  We take more time to warm up to the idea of physical intimacy.  And we want emotional intimacy before physical intimacy.  But maybe, after letting our guys know that we are crockpots and not microwaves, we can help them keep the crockpot on during the day with little reminders to ourselves.  Something to make yourself feel like a WOMAN instead of just a mommy.

Breastfeeding Love

I am linking up with Sister's N Cloth for the Breastfeeding Blog hop today.  And in honor of Valentine's Day we are writing about the things we love about breastfeeding.  In general I just plain love breastfeeding.  If you want to see all the reasons I love breastfeeding and why look at this post.  Today I  thought I would be super sappy in honor of Valentine's Day and write a poem.


Love, how I love, the way God made our bodies to be
a gift for of life for baby and me.
How incredible that the food my breast's provide
changes as baby's days fly by.
 Something that only I can do for you
I can't delegate this one but I don't want to.

Nestled close up against me, he starts to nurse
almost frantic as he begins.
Arms and legs squirming head bobbing.
Then comes the pins and needles of let down
the soft gulping of baby, the squirming all gone
He ends relaxed and asleep,

I know these days will end too soon even though
I expect we still have a year to go
But I've been here before with babes who came first
The beginning weeks are always the worst
This sweet snugly bonding time won't last nearly as long as I'd like
So this time I try to slow down and enjoy the ride.

First time nursing in public {Breastfeeding Bloghop}

Today I am linking up with Sisters 'n Cloth for the breastfeeding blog hop and discussing the first time nursing in public.  For me, being able to breastfeed comfortably in public enabled me to keep nursing my babies until they were 18 months old.  It meant that I didn't have to know how much milk I needed for the baby when I left the house.  I didn't have to worry about how I would keep the milk good or warm it up. 

I can remember the first few times I nursed Miss Froggie in public.  This was  in the year 2000 and in the summer in Texas.  It was over one hundred degrees every day.  And Miss Froggie was quite the hot water bottle.  I remember sitting on a bench and latching her.  I had most of my breastfeeding gear and a baby blanket.  But it was so hot and Miss Froggie was sweating already.  I just couldn't imagine keeping that blanket over us once we were latched. So I took it off.

To be honest, this was easy for me.  I mean I was SO HOT and so was Miss Froggie.  But it was a little more difficult for dear husband.  He had to be assured that I was not exposed but he agreed it was too hot for a blanket over us.  The next time I remember was in a restaurant.  I nursed her in the booth.  (I've found that if you sit in a booth and nurse on the inside breast, no one out of your table can tell what you are doing.  And in general, once latched it just looks like you are holding your baby.)  This time dear husband asked if it would be better to nurse in the bathroom.  I was honestly surprised.  I asked him, sitting on the toilet?   He said, "oh, no, I guess not". ( He had been under the impression that women had chairs or couches in the bathroom.)

After that, we were both pretty comfortable with the nursing wherever we were.  I have done different things with different babies to keep myself modest.  I like the new light weight nursing covers that keep you covered hands free, but I think they make it obvious what you are doing.  I use them with a new baby that is still learning to latch quickly.  If I am out with family or girl friends I am discrete but I don't worry too much.  If I am out in mixed company I usually keep everything very covered.  Although, some of my babies have liked to uncover themselves.  This can cause more of a scene than quietly latching.

I think the best advice I was given was to practice latching in front of a mirror.  That way you can learn to latch without showing anything.  This gets super easy as baby gets older, because they can do it all themselves.  Now, with the fourth baby 8 months old, we have nursed just about everywhere.  The park, the pool, the amusement park, in the car (not while moving), in the mall, in my office, in the doctor's office, on play dates, at church.  When we have moved or traveled, I have checked the laws in the new states.  Mostly they say the same thing.  Mother can nurse wherever she is legally allowed to be.  But so far, I have not been asked to move or leave anyplace.

I am thankful that I had my girls first.  It would be a little more awkward to nurse a baby in front of tween or teenage boys than teenage girls.

Top ten things to get breastfeeding off to a good start

With breastfeeding nothing is more important than getting off to a good start.  A rough start can be overcome, but as a sleep deprived postpartum mom you want to avoid it if at all possible. 

  What exactly is a good start?  I would define a good start as appropriate weight gain by baby, not supplementing with formula, and a good latch which means no pain for mom.

And is there anything an expecting mom can do to increase the odds of having a good start?   I would suggest that there are ten things you can do to make it as easy as possible.  The first five are things to know before giving birth.  The last five are things to do after the birth.

Before Birth:
1) It is helpful to know if you have protruding, flat, or inverted nipples.  Prior to breastfeeding, nipples are perceived as only sexual and so women often have no idea which type of nipple they have.  By the way, inverted nipples are not inverted all the time, they go in instead of out when compressed for breastfeeding.  Check out Anne Smith's directions and photos if you want to check whether you have flat or inverted nipples.   Wearing breast shells for a few hours a day during the last trimester can really help if you have inverted nipples.
2)  Watch someone else latch a newborn (30 days old or less)
3)  Get educated.  Know what's normal for breastfeeding newborns.  If you know that it is normal for breastfeeding newborns to lose 10% of their weight the first week, it is not as scary.  Knowing that babies digest breastmilk in two hours and that they should be hungry an hour and half after you started the last feeding will make the whole process easier.  So what should you know?
Feeding pattern
Normal diapers
Normal weight loss/gain
Signs of Hunger
Newborn reflexes and how they can affect latch
Breastfeeding positions.
4) Write your birth plan.  This does not have to be elaborate.  Actually I think that the more simply they are the more the nurses are able to accommodate them.  But consider putting in it what your plans are for feedings, rooming in, supplementing with formula, and pacifiers.  If you have inverted nipples it would be a good idea to request that a breast pump be available immediately after birth.
5)  Find your cheerleader. If things are great and easy, your husband may be the only cheerleader you need.  But having a friend, mother, mother-in-law, or sister who has done this before may be what keeps you going if things get a little rough.  And remember, you are not the only one learning how to do this.  Baby is too.

1)  Get baby to breast within 30 minutes of birth if at all possible.  Why? So they don't "forget" how to do the birth crawl.
2)  It is not supposed to hurt.  If it does, get a lactation consultant to help with latch.  If your nipple looks like a new tube of lipstick after baby comes off the breast, latch isn't good enough.  With enough feedings this will turn to a cracked or bruised nipple. 
3) Room in (so you don't miss early signs of hunger)
4)  Keep a log of wet and poopy diapers and time at the breast until baby is back to birth weight.
5)  Drink enough water and be sure to feed yourself.  Sleep whenever you can.

I breastfeed and ...

do just about everything.  After breastfeeding for a total of 65 months and counting, I think as a mother of 4 kids that is required. Today on the breastfeeding bloghop we are talking about breastfeeding and multitasking and/or being green.  So what things do I recommend partnering with breastfeeding and what things would I avoid?  For some reason, writing this post is totally cracking me up.  I read it to my husband to see if I have forgotten anything and the faces he made gave me the giggles.    So, I haven't actually done ALL of the things I recommend avoiding, and I'm not telling which ones. 

Things to do while breastfeeding:
Read
Type (yes, you can learn to type one handed and use capitals)
Check homework
Chase your two or three year old in the park
Push a grocery cart
Pump the other side
Talk to a friend (in person or on the phone)
Eat or drink something cold
Sleep
Attend a wine tasting
Shop at the mall
Take a bath
Singing in church
Flying (as passenger in an airplane)

Things to avoid:

Driving (passenger or otherwise)
Cook dinner
Eat or drink something hot
Paint
Go to the bathroom
Take a shower (baby gets too slippery)
Exercize
Teach a college class

I have actually taught Sunday school while breastfeeding.  I think this takes some discretion and knowledge of the families in the class.  One of the three year olds asked me a lot of questions about nursing and I had to discuss the whole thing with her mother afterward.  Had it been a different mother it might have been an awkward conversation.
One thing in the news today that I have not done is cross- nursing.  I have not nursed someone else' s baby or let someone else nurse mine.  And unlike the Kardashians I don't intend to.  I'm not saying milk sharing is bad.  But be sure you know the medical   history of the milk donor.

Letter to myself (BFBloghop)

Today is the breastfeeding blog hop over at Sisters in Cloth and we are writing letters to ourselves as first time moms.

Dear a younger Nataline at the birth of Miss Froggie,

    Congratulations!  Miss Froggie has been born and will bring such joy and change to your life at home.   I have written and rewritten this letter, trying to get it just right.  You are now a mother and your number one job is to get to know your baby, to be an expert on her.  Trust yourself, trust your gut.  All the clichés about them growing up to fast, they are true.  Even the one about cooking and cleaning can wait until later... I wish I had learned live in the moment when she was born instead of when she was a middle-schooler.   And made the time to journal and keep a very good baby book for each baby.

     Take as long as you can for maternity leave.  Because once you go back it is harder to quit.  Having a car and stuff, it really is not as important as you think.  You can live with less.  You think that you will have more time and more money later… You will always want 10% more time and money than you have.  Figure out how to make time for what is important and how to spend less than you make now.

    That pacifier that you think is evil?  It is not.  Let her have it early or she won’t take it later.  You can wait until your milk comes in, but if she stays at the breast 24/7 you will have WAY too much milk.  And you will need a pump.  Because when your milk does come in, Miss Froggie won’t be able to latch on a bowling ball.  And while you are at it, get a good EXPENSIVE one.  But keep it forever!  (Even if you think you are done having kids.)

     If you want her to take a bottle, start her on it before 6 weeks.  And then make sure the milk is hot (100 degrees) because your breast milk is hot.  And at four months, when she starts to refuse the bottle you have a decision.  If you nurse her before she takes that bottle, she will quit taking a bottle all together.  It is ok if she won’t take a bottle, so if she is more stubborn than you fine.  But know that is the choice you are making. 

     And finally, you will love your babies so fiercely that you will be tempted to get your priorities out of whack.  Keep God first and husband second.  And make sure your husband knows he is more important than your babies by your actions not just your words. 

                                                                                                                Signed,

 An older Nataline

More breastfeeding goals?

Today’s Topic on the Breastfeeding bloghop is goals, which is appropriate for January and a new year. I have previously talked about what my personal breastfeeding goals have been and what influenced me to have those goals.  But as I was pondering the topic of breastfeeding goals, I realized that I am most likely breastfeeding my last baby.  (God can always do the unexpected, but we do not plan to add any more children to our family.)

While I believe my family is complete,  I am a little sad that this is the last baby.  I pray that the youngest will not be the one to self-wean early.  But, it also means that it is a good time for me to set some breastfeeding goals that are bigger than my personal breastfeeding experience.

I have had the opportunity at three different jobs to work with mothers who were breastfeeding.  And I have always absolutely loved it.  It has been quite enlightening also.  Although I had tons of problems getting my first to latch correctly, all in all breastfeeding has been pretty easy for me personally.  But, some of the women I have worked with have had lots of trouble.  They have had to work really hard to breastfeed their babies.  Before seeing how hard it can be to breastfeed, I had been almost a breastfeeding Nazi.  Now, not so much.  I do think that there are lots of things about our current culture that make it harder to breastfeed.  In the past 10 years I think hospitals have been doing a better job of allowing moms and babies to stay together and nurse sooner after birth.  But there is still work to be done.  I have seen way too many stories in the news in the past year about women who were asked to stop breastfeeding or leave current stores.  And the whole Time magazine controversy.  I can definitely say that I agree with Support with Integrity.  We should not be judgmental about how a mother chooses to breastfeed.  I have signed the pledge and will display the button.

In general I like to have goals and a plan.  But right now I am still praying about what my long term goals or mission should be for breastfeeding.  So, instead I’ll give you my 2013 breastfeeding goals.

1.  Breastfeed baby (the entire year Lord willing) and then wean early 2014.
2.  Write a weekly post for the breastfeeding bloghop.
3.  Take one continuing education class on breastfeeding.
4.  Explore ways to support or encourage a culture of breastfeeding.
5.  Pray about my long term goals related to breastfeeding.

Gift Ideas for a Breastfeeding Mom

For this topic, I think there are two different categories of breastfeeding mothers.  Those expecting  or recently given birth to their first baby and everyone else who is breastfeeding.  The new breastfeeding mom has a longer gift list in my opinion.  And here it is:

Lanolin cream

Disposable breast pads or cloth breast pads

Breastfeeding tank tops or camis

Breastfeeding bra 1-2, plus sleep bra
Burp cloths or cloth diapers for leaky babies and leaky breast.
A sling or wrap 

Breast shells  (These are different from breast shields.  Shells help the nipple to be in the easiest shape for latch, they are essential for new mom’s with flat or inverted nipples.  Mom wears them for about 30 minutes before feeding.  They can also help protect sore nipples from rubbing on clothes).

A waterproof crib pad (for under mom while she sleeps/leaks)

Breast pump (which one depends on how often mom will be pumping)

Milkies milk-saver  may be invaluable to mom’s who leak while baby is nursing

Breastfeeding shirts and dresses are nice (but not necessary) and great gifts!  Especially for moms who have been nursing a while.  So are breastfeeding pj's.

And maybe it is just me, but I think thinks for a good soak in bathtub are always great gifts for a mom!

Breastfeeding gifts

There is a part of me that thinks that I should give you all the benefits of breastfeeding in general.  But I think instead I am going to write about the gifts that breastfeeding has given me specifically.  Hopefully I don’t get too personal for anyone’s sensibilities.

1)       I no longer have insomnia.  Before having my first daughter I had insomnia.  It took me at least thirty minutes to fall asleep and I frequently would wake up once or twice during the night.  I realized that I could wake my daughter up to nurse and I would fall asleep.  Horrible, I know.  But the process fixed my sleep problems, even when I went 5 years without nursing

2)      Weight loss while eating whatever I want.  I hate it when I quit breastfeeding and I have to watch what I eat again.  I’m not sure that we really save all the money on formula though, because we spend more on my food.

3)      Always having enough food for my baby.  I have often run out of diapers and clean clothes while out for the day or on vacation.  But I’ve always had enough milk (only because it’s attached).

Gift Boxes by FutUndBeidl on Flickr

4)      It may have saved my daughter’s life when she got pertussis at 3 weeks old because of the antibodies that are passed through breast milk from mother to baby.  And reduced countless other illnesses as well.

5)      Snuggle time

6)      Fewer dishes because of not washing bottles.

7)      Smart, healthy kids.

8)      Long periods of time without periods.

9)      As a small busted woman, I have enjoyed having some time being more ample busted.

10)   Passion.  I love breastfeeding.  I love helping other people breastfeed.  I love seeing the personalities of babies come out when they are days or even hours old.